India claim fourth Test victory in South Africa: Records broken
India have beaten South Africa in the first of three-match Test series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. They successfully defended 304 to claim their fourth Test victory in South Africa. Virat Kohli has become the first-ever Indian captain to win more than one Test in the Rainbow Nation. Before this match, South Africa had won seven consecutive Tests in Centurion.
India raked up 327 in the first innings, riding on KL Rahul's magnificent ton. For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi picked up six wickets. In reply, the Proteas managed just 197, with Mohammed Shami taking a five-wicket haul. India were bowled out for 174 in the second innings. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen scalped four wickets apiece. Chasing 305, South Africa perished on 191.
The century drought of Kohli continues. He managed 35 (first) and 18 (second) in the two innings. However, Kohli broke a number of captaincy records. He became the first-ever Indian skipper to win 40 Test matches. Kohli is only behind Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41) in terms of wins in Test cricket (as captain).
Kohli is the only Indian captain to win more than one Test match in South Africa. On the 2017/18 tour, India won the third Test in Johannesburg under him. Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid (2006/07) and MS Dhoni (2010/11) have won one Test each in SA.
Indian opener KL Rahul slammed his seventh Test hundred in the first innings. He got to the three-figure on the opening day. Rahul now has the highest individual Test score by an Indian opener in South Africa (123). Notably, Wasim Jaffer is the only other Indian opener to have scored a Test century in the Rainbow Nation (116 in Cape Town, 2006/07).
Rahul has slammed six of his seven Test tons away from home. Out of these, five have come outside Asia. He now has the second-most Test tons (5) by an Indian opener outside Asia, after Sunil Gavaskar (15). Rahul surpassed Virender Sehwag on this list (4). Rahul is only the third visiting opener to score a Test century at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Rahul shared a 117-run stand with Mayank Agarwal for the opening wicket on Day 1. They have become only the third opening pair (in Tests) from India to share a century stand in South Africa. It was only the second instance of a visiting opening pair registering a century partnership in Centurion. Notably, the first was also from India (Gambhir-Sehwag: 137 runs).
Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant completed 100 dismissals in Test cricket. He became the quickest Indian wicket-keeper to this landmark (26 Tests). Pant broke the long-standing record of former Indian captain Dhoni, who took 36 Tests to record 100 wicket-keeping dismissals. Pant's compatriot Wriddhiman Saha also completed 100 dismissals in 36 Tests. Overall, the former became the sixth Indian wicket-keeper to attain this feat.
Mohammed Shami became the fifth seamer from India to complete 200 Test wickets after Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, and Javagal Srinath. He is the third fastest Indian pacer (55) to do so after Dev (50) and Srinath (54). Shami took 9,896 balls to take 200 Test scalps, the fewest for India. He registered his sixth Test five-wicket haul in the first innings.
India's premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, took a total of five wickets in the match. He completed 100 wickets in Test cricket away from home. Bumrah is the fastest Indian bowler to accomplish this milestone (23 Tests). He broke the record of BS Chandrasekhar, who took 100 away scalps in his 25th Test. Srinath and Shami were the joint-fastest among Indian pacers (28).
India started their year with a special Test win at the Gabba. They won the Border-Gavaskar series 2-1 with their first-ever Test victory at this venue. In August, India registered their first Test win at Lord's since 2014 (third overall). India's first win at Lord's came in 1986 under Kapil Dev. Kohli and his troops have entered the record books by winning in Centurion.
India have become only the third Test-playing nation to defeat South Africa in Centurion. They have ended the winning streak of the Proteas, who had won seven consecutive Tests at the SuperSport Park since December 2014.
